1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a color display method for a numerical control system equipped with a color display device. More particularly, the invention relates to a color display method whereby display items relating to numerical control are displayed in different colors on a color display device in a system including an automatic programming unit having color display software, an NC unit that does not have color display software, the color display device and an operator's panel.
2. Background Art
When constructing a new system, the system, with all the necessary functions, may be built up in integrated form as a single unit. However, lower cost, higher reliability, a lower amount of labor for development and facilitated maintenance are achieved by dividing all of the necessary functions and forming them into modules. Each module is designed independently and the modules are interconnected to form the desired system.
This modular method of system construction is applicable even when developing an NC system having both an automatic programming function and an NC function. Conventionally, however, rather than adopting the modular approach, a sophisticated automatic programming function is merely added to an NC unit, thus giving rise to problems related to processing speed and memory capacity. As a result, a separate processor which is not used for NC control, is added on, additional memory is provided, and the architecture itself must be redesigned. Moreover, in the prior art, an NC unit equipped with an automatic programming function must be specially designed for the particular machine tool (such as a lathe, milling machine, machining center or wire-cut electric discharge machine), or whenever there is a requirement for special specifications. This involves major problems in the areas of design and maintenance. Therefore, a desired system is assembled by forming an NC unit, which has an automatic programming function, into modules for (a) an automatic programming function, (b) an NC function, (c) a display function, (d) a data input/output function, and (e) a manual operation function. Design is carried out module by module, and the modules are appropriately combined to construct the system. As such a modular system, the assignee of the subject application has proposed a numerical control system equipped with an automatic programming unit for administering automatic programming, an NC unit for administering numerical control, an operator's panel and a display device provided for common use by both the automatic programming unit and NC unit, as well as a control unit. The control unit causes the operator's panel and the display device to operate on behalf of whichever unit corresponds to a selected mode, based on selection information for selecting an automatic programming mode or NC mode, which information is entered from a selection key provided on the operator's panel (see U.S. Ser. No. 536,879, filed Sept. 29, 1983.
The automatic programming unit in the foregoing system creates NC data on the basis of information entered by the operator in a conversational mode involving the display device. Predetermined inquiries and graphics are suitably displayed on the display device under the control of the automatic programming unit. Thus, in the automatic programming mode, a color display is desirable for the graphic display because of the need to make the automatic programming input operation easier and more reliable.
In the NC mode, on the other hand, when it is necessary to request a display of offset quantities, current position, program content, various parameters and the like, these need merely be displayed as simple characters on the display device and, hence, a color display is unnecessary.
Accordingly, the arrangement is such that the automatic programming unit possesses a color display function while the NC unit does not, and a color display can be provided only in the automatic programming mode.
Despite the color display capability, the fact that the color display is provided only in the automatic programming mode and not in the NC mode seems odd and is undesirable in terms of commodity image.